(69a) Redesigning a First Year Introduction to Chemical Engineering Course to Integrate a Laboratory Component

A one-semester introduction to chemical engineering course was redesigned to add a laboratory component. The goals of the redesign were to provide the following for the students: an opportunity in which they could feel an intradepartmental connection working in small groups, basic exposure to the challenging concepts which they will face throughout their academic careers, and hands-on experience to both engage them and increase their retention of the material.

The structure of the course was such that up to 144 students could be enrolled. A rotation schedule was implemented so that each student experienced four, two-hour labs during the semester. The laboratory component of the course focused on the production of biodiesel, with each experiment highlighting a different part of the process. In doing so, the students were able to be exposed to many engineering concepts and clearly understand the integration of each concept/unit into the bigger picture of an engineering process. During the first week, students produced biodiesel from vegetable oil using one-liter batch reactors. The products were separated by gravity and then ion exchange was used to purify the biodiesel in the second lab. During the third lab, the students used distillation to recover excess methanol from the glycerin produced in the biodiesel reaction and then compared the results to an ASPEN simulation. Finally, during the fourth week, the students produced soap using glycerin from biodiesel production, tested the biodiesel’s cold weather properties, created a 20% blend of biodiesel and diesel, and then used the fuel in a diesel generator to make microwave popcorn. During each lab, the students also interacted with larger-scale equipment for each process unit being studied.

In addition to the laboratory component, students had a 50-minute class each week in which they engaged with a combination of technical and departmental content, including a discussion on safety and ethics. Faculty members and seniors in the department held roundtable discussions, answering questions about research, internships, and potential career paths. The classroom was specifically designed for active learning with students sitting in small tables to facilitate discussions and group work. Problem solving and discussions were guided by the instructor, graduate teaching assistants, and two undergraduate teaching fellows.

The final project for the course was designed to integrate the students’ laboratory experience and classroom knowledge. Students were required to design a poster on a product or process of their choice and then present that poster during a poster session. Some of the requirements included presenting a process flow diagram and a discussion of how the class concepts were reflected in the process they selected. Peer evaluation was utilized along with evaluations from the instructor, graduate teaching assistants, and undergraduate teaching fellows. The poster session was held in the atrium of the engineering building and was attended by faculty, students, and staff in the School of Engineering.

Retention analysis of first-year students to the university from the first to the second semester shows an increase of approximately 6% with the redesigned course. Additional data on retention to the major and the evaluations from the students will also be presented.